Stand Up Paddle Boarding In North Shore Kauai

Kauai is by far one of my absolute favourite destinations. I have been blessed to visit this little Hawaiian Island several times in my life.

The effect that Kauai has on me is profound. There is something about the energy and spirit of the island and people that allows me to breathe a little deeper and feel more calm and connected.

Nicknamed the Garden Isle because so much of it is covered in lush rain forest, Kauai is an outdoor playground for those who love to be in nature.

In November my boyfriend and I packed up our inflatable SUP’s and headed back to Kauai.

Bringing our paddle boards was a no brainer. Our inflatable SUP’s have rolling backpacks so they were easy to check on to the airplane.

The SUP bags were great for packing extra clothing and shoes as well so that we only had to bring carry on luggage. This way we avoided the extra baggage check fees.

Stand up paddling in Kauai is dreamy. The beaches aren’t packed, the sand is soft and beautiful and the water is clear, warm and feels very healing.

We had the choice of paddling on calm ocean bays, down winding rivers to secret waterfalls and we even surfed a few small waves (yes totally doable with an inflatable SUP… Even ones that aren’t designed for surf).

Kauai truly offers a little bit of everything. We used our boards almost every single day and loved that we could get up and head to the water early and not have to worry about renting SUP’s.

We stayed in the Princeville area, which is on the North shore and close to my favourite beaches.

From there it was a 5 minute drive South towards Anini Beach, which is my absolute fave place to hang out. Or we could go 5 minutes North towards Hanalei Bay and the Hanalei River.

PADDLEBOARDING AT ANINI BEACH

Oh Anini Beach how I love you. This beautiful beach is pristine, very quiet in November and the water is extremely calm.

It also has the bonus of being packed full of giant sea turtles. We paddled and snorkelled with the turtles daily, which was an absolute joy.

There is a 2-mile long reef that hugs the shoreline of Anini Beach that creates a shallow calm lagoon making it ideal for swimming and great for doing some morning laps if you are so inclined.

For this reason it is also perfect for families looking for a calm safe environment for the kids to swim and play.

The lagoon at Anini Beach is a great place to learn to stand up paddleboard if you are a beginner. The water is shallow, clear, warm and easy to paddle.  If you’re going to fall in, this is the place to do it!

The beach is lined with trees so there is ample shade to take advantage off when you need a break from the sun. Consequently it is very comfortable to hang out there for several hours and not get sunstroke.

Further North down the Beach is the Anini Beach Campground. We weren’t camping but if that’s your thing, this campground is stunning with the beach, water and washrooms all right there.

I would imagine that it get’s quite busy in the summer but in off season I normally only see a handful of campers there.

PADDLEBOARDING AT HANALEI BAY

A little further North you will find the quaint little town of Hanalei.  The laid back hippie vibe in this town is hard to beat and will instantly put you at ease.

With numerous little shops and cafes splattered along the main road it’s a great place to chill, watch the tourists and get some food from one of their fantastic food trucks (Highly recommend Fresh Bite… Healthy quick and delicious food!).

The Beach at Hanalei Bay was made famous years ago by the 1960’s folk song Puff The Magic Dragon. “Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee.” 🙂

It’s been long thought that the song was a hidden reference to smoking marijuana but according to an interview by Peter Yarrow who wrote the song it is about the “innocence of childhood lost” and inspired by an Ogden Nash poem about a dragon.

However there is still a belief that a dragon lives among the beautiful Hanalei’s sea cliffs and many say that the mountainside that wraps around the bay looks like a sleeping dragon.  What do you think?

Either way it makes for a great folklore story at a very special location.

The conditions for paddle boarding at Hanalei Bay can change quickly so be sure to check the weather and surf reports before heading out.

However most of the times that I have been there it has been fairly calm with some light surf.

This is an ideal place to learn to surf.  There is a protected surf area next to the pier with the perfect baby waves for practicing your skills.

This is a great spot for beginners to learn without annoying the heck out of the pro surfers.

We spent quite a bit of time here on our inflatable SUP’s riding the waves, doing a little light surfing and a lot of falling in the water. 😉

We found most surfers in this area to be just learning and everyone was very respectful of each others space.

Even with overcast weather this is a super fun spot to spend a few hours.

TIP

One tip as a stand up paddle boarder is to make sure you are wearing your leash and hang on to your paddle when you fall in. No one out there is going to appreciate a rogue flying paddle or board hitting them when you bail.

If you don’t want to bother with the surf you can head out a little further for a calmer paddle.

It is very easy to lose many hours at this bay as it promises oodles of fun!

In the summer and around Christmas time the beach gets a lot busier. However this is Kauai we are talking about so you’ll never see the throngs of people that you might find in Maui or on Oahu.

Also worth noting the Hanalei Pier located at Hanalei Beach is one of my favourite spots to watch the sunset in Kauai and if you ever find your way there I highly recommend it.

PADDLEBOARDING DOWN HANALEI RIVER

The Hanalei River winds through a lush tropical rainforest and eventually comes out into Hanalei Bay.

There is a small boat ramp at the mouth of the river in Hanalei where you can launch your board from. There is also a SUP and Kayak rental shop right there as well if you need to rent a paddleboard or kayak.

The water is typically very calm along this river and it is a very relaxing place to paddle. Many of the locals will paddle up and down this river for fitness.

On one of my Kauai trips a few years back I passed Laird Hamilton and his wife Gabrielle Reece stand up paddling down the river heading to the ocean – That was quite a site! 🙂

PADDLEBOARDING TO SECRET FALLS

If you want to plan an adventurous and epic day I highly recommend the paddle up Wailua River in Kapaa and the hike to Secret Falls.

Secret Falls is a 120-foot tall waterfall that is only accessible via the Wailua River and a hike through a rain forest. This is a journey that not everyone will do but it is 100% worth it and makes for an awesome day!

Roundtrip it takes anywhere from 3.5 – 6 hours to complete. We took our time, swam at the falls and paddled a little further down the river. For us the entire trip took about 5 hours.

There are a few options for this trip.

• You can join a kayak tour.
• You can rent a kayak or SUP and do a self-guided tour.
• Or as in our case, use your own inflatable SUP if you have brought one with you.

I was very glad we did this trip on our own and didn’t join a tour. Although I am sure the tours are fantastic (we passed several tour groups along our way), we loved taking our time and having a little more independence on this journey.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS SUP ADVENTURE:

– With so many people going up and down the river and doing the hike it feels very safe. We never felt alone and it is almost impossible to get lost.

There is also a tour boat that goes up the left side of the river for those who don’t want to paddle. It doesn’t go to the hike for Secret Falls, instead it branches off to the left at the fork in the river and goes to the Fern Grotto.

SAFETY TIP: Stick to the right on your way up the river and to the left going back to keep out of the way of the boat.

– Park at the boat launch in Kapaa town and launch your SUP from there.

– The hike isn’t long but can take longer than you would think if it is very muddy and you may want to spend some time chilling at the falls so plan accordingly.

The paddle going downstream is much easier on the way there and typically gets windy on the way back.

The wind was noticeable but not too bad on the day we did this trip.  In fact we found the whole paddle to be quite relaxing but even so it is wise to start early so that you aren’t returning in the late afternoon wind.

HIKE TO SECRET FALLS

Truly the highlight of the trip is Secret Falls. The hike itself was epic but not for the reason you might think. Sure it’s very pretty hiking through the rain forest but we were there in rainy season and the amount of mud was outrageous!

I have never seen mud like that in my life. We hiked through mud that came half way up our legs, it was crazy and VERY slippery.

If I can give you one crucial piece of advice it would be to find a walking stick before starting this hike!

The tour groups often provide walking sticks but if you are on your own grab a long stick either at the start of the hike or bring it with you on your board from somewhere else.

I didn’t realize I would need a stick but was lucky enough that a lovely women who was just ending her hike passed her stick on to me.

Once you have found a spot to park your paddleboard, change into your hiking shoes (be aware they will need an extensive clean afterwords), grab your backpack or dry bag packed with water and snacks and start the one-mile hike toward the falls.

There will be a stream crossing with a rope to hang on to and then you will continue on along the path to the right through the rainforest.

Unless you are doing this hike during the summer give in to the fact that you are going to get wet and very very muddy.

As one women told me when she saw me gape at the amount of mud on her “Just embrace the mud, don’t try to avoid it.” Haha.

Well she was right. There was no avoiding the mud so all you can do is trample your way through it and try to keep yourself from slipping and sliding.

I mostly kept my camera in my backpack on this hike as I was worried I would slip and drop it in the mud so I didn’t get many pictures to accurately portray the immense amount of mud.  You’ll have to take my word for it.

The nice thing is that once you reach the falls you can jump into the cold water and completely rinse off… Only to get muddy again on your way back of course.

The falls are beautiful and we loved swimming in the water. Be prepared for a shock to your system because the water is cold!

KAMOKILA HAWAIIAN VILLAGE

When paddling up the river you will see an authentic Kamokila Hawaiian Village on the right just as you approach the 2 mile mark before the fork in the river.

This is a great place to stop for a break either on the way down or on the way back.

We were going to stop on the way back but ended up skipping it as our day was getting long.

However I had been to it in years past and it is quite interesting.  They offer cultural tours from 9am to 9pm that costs $5 cash (cash only).

The tour will take you through the 4-acre property where King Kaumauli’i, the last reigning king of Kauai, once dwelled.

FERN GROTTO

The guided kayak tours only take you to Secret Falls however if you are doing a self guided tour with either your own or a rented kayak or SUP then you have the option of taking a right at the fork in the river on the way back to go to the Fern Grotto.

Once you finished the Secret Falls hike, grab your board and paddle about 5 minutes back the way you came until you see the fork in the river.

Take a right and paddle another few minutes to get to the Fern Grotto boat ramp on the right hand side.

We decided to check it out as it only tacks on an extra 10 minutes or so to get there.

Although it was written up with great hype we found it kind of disappointing. Basically you leash your board to one of the exposed tree roots and head up the walkway to the Fern Grotto.

You can’t really get that close to it but you do get a good view and it is very pretty. We just didn’t find it as awe inspiring as we thought it might be.

When we were there there wasn’t another soul in sight and we had the place all to ourselves. Even so we spent maybe 5 minutes then turned around and headed back.

SWIMMING HOLE

If you want to paddle an extra 10 minutes further up from the Fern Grotto you will come to an area they call the swimming hole. This was even more disappointing and I wouldn’t even remotely call it a swimming hole.

The water had a lot of run off from the farms (there were cows at the end munching by the river) so the water in our opinion was not swim worthy.

We paddled to the end of that channel, which took us about 15 minutes.  At a certain point the river gets too rocky and the water too low to keep paddling.

TRAVEL TIPS

If you bring your inflatable SUP to Kauai for an epic SUP vacation here are a few tips to help you along the way.

1. Bring a towel with you specifically for cleaning/drying off your board.

2. Rinse your board in fresh water from an outdoor shower at the beaches when finished and before packing up to head home.

We didn’t rinse ours every time but definitely made sure to give them a good rinse in fresh water and dry them completely before packing up for the journey home.

3. Research your paddle trips before you go. The weather in Kauai is known to change by the hour so check the hourly forecast for the day and the tides.

4. Bring a waterproof camera to take pictures! You will see an abundance of turtles, fish, lush tropical rain forest and the beautiful Kauai mountains during your paddle trips. Don’t miss the opportunity to get some great shots.

6. It is worth knowing that it is not safe to stand up paddle around the famous Napali Coast most of the year.  Therefore if you are able to I would highly recommend a boat tour.

The Napali Coast is stunning.  You can hike along the Kalalau Trail and see some of the coast that way but other than that the only way to see it is by boat or by plane.

We did a sunset dinner boat tour around the Napali Coast on our last night and wow what a fabulous way to end a great trip!  Highly recommend.

7. Finally I feel the need to give a mention to my favourite lunch spot on North Shore Kauai – Nourish Hanalei (www.nourishhanalei.com).

If you’re feeling hungry after paddle boarding head over to Nourish Hanalei to grab one of their epic smoothie bowls or delicious lunches.

Owned by 3 sisters, this little food stand provides simple, healthy, wholesome, vegan and delicious food.

It’s a little off the beaten track but worth finding.  There are a few picnic tables by the food stand where you can eat while enjoying the stunning view of the Hanalei Valley.  I can’t wait to go back.

Thanks for reading!  This was a fabulous trip and I look forward to going back one day soon.

Have you been to Kauai before? Leave a comment below and let me know where your favourite paddling spots are.